Ice-making machine.



W. T. RAY., 10E MAKING MAOHINE. nrLIoATIx' rILBnn. da, 1910.

' Patented Api. 25, l191:1'.

15 SHEETS-'SHEET 1.

, w. T. RAY. Y ICE MAKING MACHINE. APPLIUAIIOII FILED HAB. 2B, 1910.

Ptnted Apr.25,1911.

" 15 BHEBTSFBHHBT z.

w. VT. BAY. ICE MAKING MACHINE. APPLIATIOI FILED IAB. 2B, 1910.

'Patented Apr. 25, 191 l.

15 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W. T. RAY. l IGI'. MAKING MACHINE. l'Ammon-1011 rILnD nu. as, 191'0.

Patented Apr.I 25, 1911.

15 SHEETS-'SHEET 4.

W. T. RAY.

i IGI] MAKING MACHINE. vAFPLIOACHON FILED 111111.23, 1910.

Patented A111125, 1911.

15 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

W. T. RAY.

ICE MAKING MACHINE.

uPLIoATIoN r1Lnn'uAn-2s, 1910.

Patented Alm-25, .1911.

" 15 `:Humm-51111151' o.

W. T. RAY.

ICE MAKING MACHINE. APPLIoATIon rILED 12.23.1910.

W. T. RAY.

ICE MAKING MACHINE. APPLIGATION FILED 111111.23, 1916.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911 w: T. RAY. ICB MAKING MACHINE.

APPLIUATIOI FILED IAR. Z8, 1910 -Patentd Apr. 25, 1911.

15 sun'rssnns'r s.

yvsn-T.' RAY'. ICE MAKING MAQHINE.v APPLICATION TIJBD MAR. 28, 1910 15 SHEETS-s113111' 10.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

W. T. RAY.

ICE MAKING MAGHINE. .nfPLIoATIoN FILED 111111. 2B, 1910.

.L L 1 1 w m w o o o o M 1 L s D. M A u 1w H o o o o t 1 I 1 3 nu Sm M y m O 0 o o 1 P O O O O .w

W. T.- RAY.' 10E MAKING MAGHINB.

APPLIQATIOH FILED I AB. 28, 1910. @WL

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

15 SHEETS-SHEET 13.

W. T. RAY. 1GB MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILEDMAB. 28, 1910.

Patented Apr.25, 1911.

w. T. RAY. ICE MAKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FLED IAB. 28,1910.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911'.

. .QNII H ma W s. n 7 n, H w 1 w L fm W y n N j w v W m l... v f 4 \|-W a -mnl' -HFW/Hm-iw @if -vnmm l i. n. u m. n u n m. n nl W .illi. KN @l n..." I N l N n@ NN .l- YN- l- WILLIAM T. BAY, or soMEnvILLE, MassAoHUsE'r's y ICE-MAKING MACHINE.

e To all whom fit may concern.'

Be it'known that I, WILLIAM T. Rar, a citizen of t-heUnited States, residing at Somerville, in the Vcounty of Middlesex and State `of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in -Ice- Making Machines,of which the following is a Specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Heretofore, the vfreezing plates of ice making machines employing anhydrousl ammonia have been permanently fixed in water tanks, and have not, as have freezing plates of ice machines using brine, been removable therefrom, for the purpose of harvesting" their crops of ice; the reason being that the connections between the coils, and thefeed and return pipes would be such, that, upon breaking them Aprior to the removal of the coils from the tank, there would be an escape of a substantial amount of ammonia into the atmosphere, unless the ammonia had been previously pumped out; an operation consuming one or more hours, and llkely to result 1n lntroducmg `air into the system, and seriously interfering with refrigeration.

Nowone of the objects of `my inventionis to prevent the above mentioned escape, and thus enable the construction and use of an anhydrous ammonia ice making machine, which with its ice may be removed from the water tank, to permit harvesting outside thereof. I accomplish this object by means of a new twin-valve-coupling, each member of which has 'a v valve and seat, so designed that when the two members of the coupling are secured together and the valves haveA found their seats, all ofthe space intervening between the two valve seats is filled by portions of the valves which abut each other. Consequently, when the coupling is broken,*'. e. when one member with closed valve, say, on the feed pipe, and the other member with closed' valve on the pipe communicating with the coil, are separated, there is no ammonia to escape either from the feed pipe or from the coil, because -there is no intervening unfilled .space between the two valve seats. Obviously, if all of the pipes leading to and from the coils are provided with such connections, all the connections may be brokeniwithout the escape yof ammonia either from the pipes or from the coils; and the lattenmay, at once, be lifted out of the tank .and conveyed to a Specification of Letters latent. `]}a1,43,111;ed Apr, 25, 1911 Aplnication :ned mmh 2s,

1910.` serial No. 551,132?.r

suitable harvesting standard Apro-vided with similar coupling members toycouple with -those on,the.removable coils, so that hot gas may be speedily lused to free the ice from the coils, and, after Athe harvesting Vof the ice, may be retained in the coils, and later returned with the coils tothe tank to be there again employed lin refrigeration. This feature ofmy invention,-namely, the twin-valve coupling, although only shown and described herein, i is described and claimed` in divisional application No.

i 599,485, filed by me December 27,1910.

Another object of my invention is so to design and arrange my freezing` plates that they may form not only one'large. block fof ice, but harvesting slots therein which par-4 tially divide the block into a number of nearly wholly formed smaller blocks of the desired shape and size; said .harvesting slots later being extended by saw cuts, 0`r by splitting, to complete the division lthe large block into smaller blocks.

j A further object is to provide a freeningl plate which is efficient, simple in construction, and inexpensive toy manufacture; and

Iattain this object bymaking use of one or morel thin fiatv tubes or unit blades, each of which is closed at its bottom end, and adapted to be connected at the upper 'end with, n

'say,a return pipe; While `within the blade,

a smaller pipe, designed to connect with i a feed pipe, extends' downthe inside of the i blade, nearly to4 its bottom, so that, over the entire inside of the freezing surfaces of i the blade, there may be a 4good `circulation not only of the expanding refrigerant liquid, but also ofthe hot gas Vto -rre'leasejthe ice from the outside freezing surfaces "of the blade. By arranging such blades in the plane of, andunder, the feed" andv return pipes, a continuous ,freezingV plate of any desired widthinay be formed. Further,

they may be combined as abovementioned, to form one or more ice freezlngspaces having three freezing sides, or two freezing sides, and when so'combined, I call them a f cluster.k

In prior anhydrous ammonia freezing dethat as these blades -have no bolt or rivet holes exposed to the water', the blades may be completely galvanized, and hence can not rust and discolor'the ice, as do such holes in the ordinary galvanized freezing plates. As this blade freezing plate does away with 'the old freezing plates. and coil between them, it obviates the formation between'the coil and the lates, of waste ice which interferes both with the growth of ice on the outside of the freezing plates, and with the har'- vesting of it. Further, the connections between thetubes and the common return and common vfeed pipes are above the `water in the tank.

There are great advantagesresulting from the use o f removable icel forming devices.y For example, the ice water'tank may be continuously used. As soon-as one body of ice -is formed, it with its ice forming device, y maybe removed from the tank, for harvestf ing, and another ice forming device be iinmediately substituted to freeze another crop. The tank is thus worked to its limit. None of the heat of the-hot anhydrous ammonia required in harvest-ing the ice, can raise the temperature of the water in the tank, for the harvesting of the ice takes place outside of thetank. And further, the hot anhydrous ammonia is, in theA process of harvesting,

condensed, so that when the freezing device' with the condensed anhydrous ammonia is,v

returned to the water tank, it is at or near v32 Fahrenheit, and does not affect the freezing temperature of the water; so that the latter is in condition to be at once transformed into ice by the contactin ice forming'surfaces, which may begin refrigeration the moment the valve 1n the return 4pipe is slightly cracked to relieve the pressure due to the compressor which supplied the' hot gas in harvesting outside of the tank. Further, by not harvesting the ice in the tank, there are no chances, for example, for dirt, as from operatives boots, to collect on the surface ofthe wateror on the bottom of the tank;

for fragments of ice, broken off in harvest-- ing the blocks, vas b ice tongs on the hoist;

for pieces of ice t0` e accidentally. frozen to the bottom of the tankpand then have to be severed as by a steam ice cutter. In fine, there are no ice fragments and dirt to be removed from the tank, to prevent the forma- ,tion of dirty and imperfect ice. Further still,`by harvesting the ice, outside of the tank, the vice is not'reduce'd in size, 'as it would. be, were it harvested in the tank, where, upon the removal of apie'ce of ice, additional water has to be let in to fillup the tank to float the ice at a proper level. This movement of the freshlyv introduced water injuriously melts the ice in the`tank.- Andv finally, it may be said that by the use of interchangeable clusters a given quantity of 4ieeican be produced from a water tank,

transition between the tank an much smaller than formerly required; and the time heretofore consumed in harvesting the ice inthe tank, and in reducing the temperature of the warmed water to a working temperature for the next 4crop of ice, be saved, because the ice on a unit is harvested outside of the tarik, vwhile a duplicate unit is at Work in the tank; therefore, the time of harvesting is negligibleV as afectingthe productive capacity of the tank. e In the drawings villustrating the principles of my invention and the best mode now known to me of embodying. them, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a water tank, traveling hoists, two .ice ,forming devices or clusters with ice thereon; one ready to be liftedV out of the tank; the other, lifted out.

and supported upon a standard, and in positionto have its block of ice disengaged from it. `This View also showsin perspec.

tive, ,a series ofsaws used in cutting up the blocks. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a grab employed in harvesting the block subsequently to its release from its cluster. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing'a block of ice in one stage .of the process of cutting the block up. into smaller pieces; Fig. 4 isa perspective '.view showing the grab with the .r resultingpieces of ice therein; the grab havingbeen moved intol position to permit the to slide off the grab, and onto, say, a delivery y platform. .F ig. 5. is aperspective view of a cluster provided with my anhydrous ammonia twin-valve-coupling sus ended, as in the harvest'- ing standard, shown in Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the freezing tank, showing two removable freezingl devlces or clusiters, one being in cross section, and in operative position in the tank and covered by closed doors; while the other, in end elevation, with pipes in section, is connected with suitable means for moving it, as into 4or out of operative position in the tank. Fig. 7 is -several pieces of ice in marketable condition, 'I

a longitudinal section'of the tank showing Y one of the freezingx'clustersmounted in the tank, and the severable connections employed. Fig. 8 ,is a plan of the clusters and tank shown-.in Figs. 25 and26. Fig. 9 is an elevation showing a cluster, .in modified form, after it has been removed from, the freezing tank, and is mounted on a harvesting standard, and suitably connected todis-l is a plan of my hollow unit freezing plate or blade; while Figs. 13 and 14 are respectively a side, and an.` end elevation of said freezing plate. Fig. 15 is a, plan ofa unit end freez- `ing plate or blade with a converging' edge; .while Figs. 16 and 17 arerespectively an side of, and above the return pipe. See 4also Figs. 9, 25 and 26. Fig. 20 is a plan showing -a block of ice, and a grab sustaining the block; with harvestingblocks formed therein, and vacatedA by, the freezing device or cluster. Fig. 21 is a plan of a series of saws used in cutting up a block of ice, transversely, into a numberof Ismaller blocks; while-Fig. 22 shows a` saw to cut through the bottom, of the blocks, longitudinally to divide the smaller blocks, as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 23 is an elevation ofthe grab, anda block ofice therein ready to be divided by the saw shown in Figs. 4, 22 and 23. Fig. 24. is an end elevation of the series of saws shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 21. Fig. 25 is a view like Fig. 6, except that its unit freezing plates or blades and connections are of the construction shown in Fig. 19; While Fie'. 26 is a view like Fig. 7, except that lits unlt freezing plates and connections 'are of the construction shown i-n Fig. 18.

A water tank 1,'Fig. 1, of any suitable material is provided, and has fpropcr water inlets and outlets. It is shown'large enough for two removable ice forming devices 2, 3,

to opera-te simultaneously, but that it may be' continuously 'operated at its full capacity, there must be additional devices to keep filled any space left vacant by one device, in the process of harvesting its crop of ice. In Fig. 1, the space vacate by one device 3, is left so, in order not to confuse the drawing; as a fact, it ought to be shown filled by an additional device. As these devices and spaces therefor in the tank are shown in duplicate simply to make plain the arrangen'ient and use of a. single tank anda plurality of such devices with common piping; a description of one device, as 3, and its operation will, in so far as my invention be concerned, be sufficient.

The ice forming device 3, Figs. 1, 5, 7 and 8, shown in what I term cluster form, is supported by a return pipe 4, extending over the top and lengtl'iwise of the tank, resting as on suitable supports 5, 5, Figs. 1 and 7, outside ofthe tank. The

depth, width and length of the ice forming cluster, see Figs. 6, 7 and 8, are such4 that when a block ofice is frozen to the desired size, it .is not in contact with any portion of the bottom or of the sides of the tank';does not have to be disengaged therefrom `and no sediment; if any, can be frozen into the' resulting block. Each of the two end portions of the return pipe 4 has Va head 6 designed to rest upon the' supports '5, 5, which,

to secure the heads in proper position,

have upwardly projectng lock pins 7, 7, to engage corresponding holes 8, 8, in the head, sothat by raising or lowering the heads, out of` or into engagement with the pins, :the

heads and thefreezing cluster, may be 'released, or may assume locked position.

Extending upwardly from each head 6, i

and connected to the return pipe 4, is a` pipe 9, with an elbow 10 that thas one of the two severable parts 11, 12, of anhydrous ammonia vtwin valve coupling It, Figs. 5

and 7, see also X, Figs. 10 and 11. Extendi ing outwardly from said head inthe axis of the returnpipe 4, and through a stuffing boX 13, is a feed pipe 14 for the freezing cluster, the outer end portion of which has` a like severable part 11 of another anhydrous twin-valve-coupling F, like X, shown `the tank, and each of saidV pipes has connected therewith the other portion 12 of the above mentioned couplings '.F, It, so arranged that when the heads 6, 6,011 the return pipe' are in their supports 5, 5, the corresponding portions 11, 12, of each of said couplings F, R, are in position to be at once,

coupled together; the feed pipe, and the return pipe connections thus become completed. Should these couplings be severed and the cluster be in the condition shown in Fig. 5, itcould be lifted out and away from that portion of my invention embodied in the above mentioned anhydrous ammonia twin-valve-coupling reference being had to X, Figs. 10 and 11. It comprises two coupling members 11, 12, Within which are provided valves 80,".31, and seats 32, 33. The

, abutting faces of the coupling members are provided with a maleand female joint, and are secured innormal position by bolts 34 and nuts 35 which engage a pair of ears 36` on the outside of each member. IlVhenv the valves arein their l'respective seats, the

communicating space between" the seats isfillcd, 'as by portions 37, 38, of the valves which extend toward each lother and abut. Each coupling member is provided with a lateral connection 39, whereby it may be connected to, one off thel two pipes` to be con-- tin'uously united. It is now obvious that by moving the valves 30, 31, oil their seats 32, 33, the two members ofthe coupling are in open communication; that when onevalve 30 is turned and finds its seat 32, 'th'e'f-por'- tion 37 fills the space between the Vvalve .seat and the valve outlet; and that when the second valve 31 is turned and finds itsseat 33, the outside face of the portion v38- of vthe valve -31 abuts the vcorresponding face of the first valve 30, at the moment the second valve 31- finds Aits seat 33. Inlother words, when the valves seal their respective coupling members, all gas or liquid in the two lmembers of the coupling is excluded from the space between the two valve seats;

andby removing the nuts 35, and the bolts 34 from theears 36, the abutting coupling members may be separated without the estoqescape.

cape. of any liquid or gas,for.there is substantially none between the two valve seats A reference to Fig. 5 will make plain the fact that the yfreezing device for cluster with A its contained gas or liquid may be removed to another location, an if desired, connect- I ed with 'other corresponding portions of like twin valve couplings, controlling the con- 4 tents of other pipes, say, 4hot gas pipes 17,

17, and pump out pipeslS, 18, Figs. 1 and 9, employed 1n harvestin a block of ice.

Any removable freezing device may be used with valvecouplin s embodyin the principle' above described, but I re er' to' use the cluster construction, an its vari-A. ous vpatentable features. My freezin device is basedv on the fprinciple of bui ding ,up of a number of r eezin units, into a formy that will produce ice. aving the desired shape, size, etc., Each unit comprises not only a hollow metal blade 50, Figs.. 12 to 19 inclusive, which is long, narrow. and thin, and has a threaded neck 51 to be fixed in the return pipe 4; but also a metal pipe ,52'to be connected with a liquid feed pipe 14, and be led down through theinside of the neck and blade, to near thebottom of lthe blade, so 'that liquid anhydrousv ammonia or hot gas may be delivered at the ,i bottom of the inside ofthe blade, and from there permitted to circulate up through the` blade, and enter the return pipe 4wh`1ch incloses the feed pipe, 'as in Fig. 1S, or which lies without, and below, the feed pipe, as shown in Fig. 19. Other like units are suitably arranged, and abutA each other so as to form two continuous plane freezing surfaces` in the manner shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and Figs. l, 3, 9, 20, in the resultin The` two plane ice forming surfaces 53,

of the blades 50, Figs. 14, 16, sli htly taper toward the bottom to facilitate t e removal ofthe blades from the ice; and where, as I -use them, to form harvesting slots 55, 56, block of ice Y, -I cause the side portions -5 and the bottom portions 58, of the blades, Yforming the ends and the bottoms of the slots, to couver e to a single edge, as shown in Figs'. 13 to 1% inclusive.

-To produce and to harvest a certainamount 'K of clear, marketable ice in the quickest time possible now known to me, I have adopted the arrangement of blades shown in Fig. 5, so that one large block Y can-be formed, out. of contact with the sides or the bottom of the tank, and provided with harvesting slots 55, 56, Fi .3 and 20, which almost completely divi e the block into smaller blocks y, y, Fig. 4, of the desired shape and size. A block Vso formed,

together with the cluster, is shown in.. Figs. 1' and 9. n

The main return pipe 4, Figs. 5,' 6, 7, 8, is' made u of a number of pleces'of pipe united in line by means offour way couplings 160 at suitable distances apart. A pair of branch return pipes 4", -4f, are mounted `at. right'angles to the main return, in the oppositev openings in each couA ling, and have` their open f ends closed brysuitable flanged blanks or caps ,62.* Arrangedr in the vertical planesr passingfthrou h the axes of the main return, and the ranch return pipes, are the unit blades 50, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The main feed kipe 14, and

branch feed pi es 14", are a'xia y mountedwithin the main and branch-return pipes',

and have extending downward through the blades, bladefeed pipes 52 that open'intov `the bottom portions of the blades, in a man. `ner already described. As shownin Figs.

1, 5 and 7, and already explained, the end ortions of the main return pipe are mounted y stuiing boxes 13, 13, in heads-6, `6,vre

movably sustained by supports 5, 5, on the outside ofthe tank. For-each end of each feed pipe, and of each return pipe, Vthereis one member 11 ofits respective twin-valve- 'coupling; therebeingone corresponding member 12 connected to each of two common return headers'v 16, 16, extending' acrol the outside'of the. tank, and in'turn connec'ted, say, toanfacc'umulator, not shown, but communicating, for example,`witl1 the suction side of a compressor, alsovn'ot shown;

and another member 12 connected with each of two common feed headers 1 5, 15leading to va liquid. receiver, not shown. While it is not necessary to feed and to withdraw the ammonia; o1'. hot gas at both ends of the feedpi e, and of` the return pipe, yet b so doing, greatly hasten the Acirculation o the Arefrigerant and the gas, and hence the .l 15 turn pipes 4, 4";

leased to cause the desired circulation of the water in the tank,

The tank being sufficiently full for the water to be a little below the level vof the *tops of the blades: and the rycluster being in the connected position shown, say, in Figs. 6, 7,

and 8; refrigeration may be begun, by opening One or both of the twin valves F, F, in the vfeedpipe 14, thereby flooding all of the blades 50, 50, and the main and branch reand by controlling the flow through the said valves and the return twinvalves RnB-of the anhydrous ammonia, which boils up.through the blades and rapidly absorbs the heat from thewater contact- 2`0 ing the "sides of the blades. I cein acontinuous piece will at once begin forming on all the immersed surfaces of the blades of the cluster, and gradually build out from all of the surfaces lconstituting the ice forming spaces, until. a substantially rectangular block, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 9 and 2D, is formed. But it is to be noticed that this block will be complete before it reaches the sides of the tank, and before it has built down far enough to Contact the bottom of the tank. The ice block is nowl ready to be' harvested. To remove the block from the tank, first, `all of the twin-valves F .and R must be closed; the ammonia in the cluster becoming locked therein; andthe ammonia 40 pling members 11, 12; and, by ineans of a traveling hoist H. Figs. 1 and 5, chains, bars, links and hooks 71\that catch -into rings 72 Ifixed in the main return and branch pipes 4, 4", see Figs. 1, 5 and`6; the 'cluster is raisedup from its support -5', 5,; and tank 1, and out Iand away toa harvesting standard 7 3, where it issustained, and each'of its severed valvecoupling-members F11,'R11, is connected to another corresponding coupling member H12,

P12, respectively, on a common hot gas feed pipe 17, and a com`mon pump out pipe 18, in away already V'described The ice. as shown in Figs. 1 and 9, is now allowed to temper a suflicient length of time; then the twin-valves P, R connecting with the pump out pipes 18 are opened to withdraw the ammonia in the cluster, and at the same time, the valves F H communicating with the hot gas header 17, are opened to allow hot as from the compressor to enter the hot gas eader through the twin-valves opening into the main feed pipe. A short distance below the bottom. of the block of ice, is a wooden base or table 74, of less dimensions than those of the bottom of the block, so

that when the ice has melted enough tothe come freed from the freezing surfaces ofthe blade, it settles down on the table; and the freed cluster,- in turn, may be made ready to occupy the space in the tank, next tobe made vacant by the removal of a duplicate cluster.

To facilitate the harvesting of the block of ice, after it has been left on the harvesting table, I employ a grab which constitutes a feature of my invention, and is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. This feature is not claimed herein, but is described and claimed in divisional application. for Letters Patent for gra-b apparatus, Serial No. 564,924, filed by me June 4, 1910. As the block Y has harvesting slots 55,- 56, that almost divide and sever it longitudinally and transversely into, s ay. fourteen pieces, there are seven pairs of legs 80 and ,feet 81, one leg and footfor each piece of ice. The legs of each pair are, at their top portions, pivoted respec` tively to a pair of parallel pivot rods, 82, 83, which, in turn, by links 84, are pivoted to a third parallel or hook rod 85, serving to be caught and sustained as by the hooks 71 of the traveling hoist H. The parallel pivot`A rods may be held at the desired distance apart, z. e. a little more than are the opposite sides of the block, by lock rods 86,\while operating rods 87 are removably mounted in hook supports 88 on the backs of the legs. The tops of the feet have sharp spiked surfaces, while each leg of each end pair has a shield 89 to prevent end pieces of ice from falling out of what might be `termed the cage formed by these legs and feet. The block Y being on theharvestin table 74, the cage Fig. 2, by means ofthe traveling hoist H, may be4 lowered down over the block, the feet being swung out by the operatingrods87" to permit the feet to pass down the outside of the block. When they reach the bottom, they are slid in under the block, Fig. 20, the sides of the table being far enough in from the bottom` edges of the block, so as not to interfere with this inward movement of the feet. When the latter are in proper adjustment, the hoist raises the cage; the feet and spikes engage the bottom of the block; andthe latter is lifted and may be carried away for vfurther steps in the process of harvesting, viz. completely severing the block into the number of smaller blocks contemplated.

A series of circular ice saws 90, Figs. 1

and 3, is mounted on a shaft 91, Vin suitable u 

